SOUTH Bendigo faces a huge challenge when it meets Spring Gully Butterflies in Friday night’s grand final of the Bendigo Tennis Association’s premier league.
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The decider for the Quest Bendigo Central-backed competition will be played on Spring Gully’s courts from 6pm.
Victorious in all three hit-outs with South Bendigo this season, Spring Gully will start favourite to take the title.
Play hits off with the two doubles matches and then four singles contests.
In its run to the grand final, Spring Gully beat South Bendigo by nine games, eight games, and one game.
The round 15 showdown between the grand finalists ended in an 8-54 to 7-53 victory by the Butterflies.
A formidable Butterflies’ line-up includes the experience and power of Matt Hartland and Jamie Brown, and the skilful Craig Nolan, Danielle Bowles and Bronwyn Osborne.
Spring Gully has also had Lachlan Perdon and Lynda Gallagher play their part in another great season.
In 15 matches, Brown has achieved a sets win-loss tally of 53-17.
The Gully’s win against South Bendigo in round 15 included Brown scoring a 12-4 win against Ryan Leader at number three.
Hartland beat Jordan Hicks in straight sets, but Grant Leader played well in a 12-5 win against Bowles.
Mick Mulgrew beat Perdon, 10-9.
The doubles were evenly fought as Hartland-Bowles won a tie-breaker against Hicks and Grant Leader, and Ryan Leader and Mulgrew teamed up to beat Brown and Perdon.
Spring Gully earned a week’s rest in the finals after it scored a 17-game victory in the second semi-final clash with Epsom.
South Bendigo’s four-game winning streak includes an 18-game triumph against Strathfieldsaye in week one of the finals and then a 16-game victory to end Epsom’s season.
The winning line-up in the preliminary final was Jordan Hicks, Grant Leader, Ryan Leader, Mick Mulgrew and Peter Somerville, while Cameron Allison played a part in the team’s run in 2016-17.
Spring Gully’s depth was on show in the second semi-final as it struck back from rare defeats by Hartland and Brown to win the other four rubbers.
• It will be an all-Spring Gully clash on Saturday when Phoenix play Panthers in the section one grand final at Bendigo Lawn Tennis Club from 10.15am.
The tally from this season’s duels between the clubmates stands at two-all.
Phoenix scored a 5-63 to 5-62 victory in the second semi-final a fortnight ago.
Grand or semi-finals for the McDonald’s junior pennant will be played across the weekend on the grasscourts.
Clubs represented across the next three days are Bendigo Lawn, South Bendigo, Spring Gully, and Strathfieldsaye.